Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics of Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas A Watson who wrote (70018)	5/14/2016 6:53:34 PM
From: Gary Mohilner	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86350

It seems to me like mankind recognizes we have a problem, but we have a single minded approach toward the solution. Certainly we should look at reducing pollution, but I'm a strong believer that we should also be looking at how we can help the planet deal with the problem as well. Oceanographer's will tell you that our oceans turn more carbon dioxide into oxygen than all the photosynthesis occurring on land, yet they'll also tell you that most of our oceans are void of life due to the fact that nutrients needed for photosynthesis to occur can't be found at the ocean's surface. The nutrients needed to make the ocean's thrive with life can generally be found roughly 400 feet below the surface. I believe it would take very little power to pump the somewhat denser nutrient rich water located 400 feet down to the surface, but it would take some experimentation to determine just how much was needed, and how closely such pumping units needed to be to effectively turn the ocean surface into a fertile area where initially plankton would grow, and ultimately other forms of sea life could thrive as well.. Certainly, this, like almost anything we do, is fooling with mother nature. Along with bringing nutrients to the surface we'd also be bringing up cooler water, potentially slightly lowering surface temperature. We have largely over fished our oceans, this could bring back and even increase the fish population as artificial upwelling provided new fertile areas for fish to live in. As for how to do it, I believe unmanned solar and wind powered stations could be developed to get the job done. In some cases these stations might be anchored, but in others the pump itself could be used to keep the station in position, or perhaps even permit it to migrate in a planned way to spread the nutrient rich seawater around. While I'm all for decreasing or eliminating our carbon footprint, I'm also realistic enough to know that the energy suppliers will throttle such efforts till the day they can no longer find petroleum, natural gas, or coal on the planet. We can reduce our use, but they'll never go completely away, so why not work on making the earth itself more capable of dealing with it. I believe increasing our oceans capability is not only a natural way of approaching the subject, but also a better way of feeding the planet with healthy seafood. Gary